Black Birthing & Matrilineal Healing: Centering Community Voices is a colloquium-style course hosted in partnership with UCSF REPAIR, the UCSF Medical Anthropology Program, and blackwomxnhealing that highlights the complex birthing and healing experiences of Black women and femme-identified folks. An elective course birthed from the #BlackFeministHealingArts Spring 2023 Communiversity Course, it deepens engagement with Black Feminist Healing Arts through the lens of Black birthing. To learn more, click the link above to view our public access course syllabus.
INSTRUCTOR
reelaviolette botts-ward, PhD, is a homegirl, an artist, and a community curator from Philadelphia, PA. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with the REPAIR Project at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the School of Medicine. At UCSF, ree brings radical Black feminist healing arts to healthcare and medical science spaces. She is also the founder of blackwomxnhealing, where she curates healing circles, exhibitions, courses, and publications for and by Black womxn.
ree received her PhD in African Diaspora Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, her MA in African American studies from UCLA, and her BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Spelman College. She has also taught courses in the African American Studies department at the University of California, Berkeley and Merritt Community College in Oakland, California, and a course called #BlackFeministHealingArts in UCSF’s Medical Anthropology department. For more on ree’s work, visit blackwomxnhealing.com / @blackwomxnhealing / @dr.reelaviolette on instagram.
INTERNS
Angelica Bradley
Fayetteville, Arkansas
My name is Angelica Marie Bradley. I am a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, where I earned a B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Health, Medicine, and Society and a minor in Public Health. My career goal is to be a public health advocate and Professor whose research and practice help to decrease health disparities. My background and academic training have prepared me to use interdisciplinary approaches to conduct rigorous research, investigate complex issues, collaborate with diverse individuals and teams, and strategize the best ways to assess and meet the needs of communities and populations.
@blackwomeninresearch
Ọmọtayọ Balogun
Irvine, California
Ọmọtayọ Balogun, MPH (she/they) is a queer, first-generation, abolitionist—raised between Nigeria, NYC, and Chicago. They’re a medical student at UCI School of Medicine and a member of the PRIME LEAD-ABC Program, which equips future physicians to serve African, Black, and Caribbean communities. Ọmọtayọ completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in Microbiology, Spanish, Global Health Studies, and Latin-American Studies . They completed their Masters in Public Health, with a concentration in global health policy, at George Washington University. Ọmọtayọ leveraged their public health expertise to co-create Sippin’ & Spillin’, a community-centered sexual wellness intervention for Black women (IG: @sippinandspillin). They are now one of the lead investigators of the Black PEARL Project, a doula-partnered care integration project at UCI Health. Ọmọtayọ hopes to use their background in public health to inform their future practice as an OB/GYN for Black Birthing patients and gender diverse communities. In their spare time, Ọmọtayọ enjoys roller skating, hiking, traveling, and sharing Black-owned restaurants and Black recipes on her food Instagram, @black.appetit.
COURSE PARTICIPANTS
Andrielle Simone
Inglewood, California
I'm a mother of one, Nykamina. My baby was born via an act of my intuition, in a situation which we were near death. I was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic and painful, diffuse symptom condition. I am a multi-meaning survivor, equipping myself and others with the tools for thrival. I study and share sacred healing modalities. I work with families, individuals, and organizations in my community to set and reach inspired goals. I navigate through years of ancestral trauma while gently guiding the elders in my life toward health and healing. I am a healer. I am a servant of the arts, of children, and of love.
@moneybodyblood
Anisha Cooper
Atlanta, Georgia
Anisha is an artist, interventionist, and licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma recovery, specifically within Black, minoritized, and indigenous communities. Her own journey started at Georgia Southern University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry and a concentration in Psychology. Soon after, she completed her Master of Education with a concentration in Community Mental Health Counseling. As she pursues her Ph.D. in Counselor Education at Mercer University, her intention is to make room for indigenous healing. Likewise, her research is focused on breaking generational curses and barriers to mental health care within BIPOC spaces.
@hanginw_coop
Briana Franklin
San Antonio, Texas
My name is Briana (Bri) Franklin. I am a Full Spectrum Doula as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), based in San Antonio, Texas. I am passionate about working with black birthing people and utilizing my skillset within the black community. Bringing life into this world is one of the most magical things that we can do. Along with being a birth worker, and a licensed psychotherapist, I consider myself a self-love advocate. It is my hope that all black birthing people experience a deeper, meaningful and more expansive love with themselves and their communities.
@akomadoula | @mahabawellness
Brittany Ariana Brathwaite
The Bronx, New York
Brittany Brathwaite is a reproductive justice
activist, entrepreneur, and an emerging critical
Black feminist health psychologist with a
deep-seated commitment to supporting the
leadership, organizing, and healing of Black
women, girls, and nonbinary folks. She is the co-
founder and CEO of Kimbritive, the unapologetic
sexual wellness platform reimagining the health
and well-being of Black women. She holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from
Syracuse University and a Master’s in Public
Health and Social Work from Columbia University.
@kimbritive | www.kimbritive.com
COURSE PARTICIPANTS
CiA Davis
Lincoln, California
Cia Davis, a retired Air Force Iraq-Combat Veteran, Birth Worker, and Community Advocate, founded Crown Breaking Barriers Wellness Coaching to empower families with resilience and mindfulness tools derived from her 20 year military background. As a Communication and Conflict Resolution Strategist she helps individuals and families break free from limitations, fostering a harmonious environment using culturally-centered practices. Certified as a Holistic-centered Doula through Get Rooted Doula, she prioritizes supporting mothers in informed decision-making and addressing preventable deaths impacting Black mothers. Active with the CA Black Women’s Health Collective and California Black Women’s Empowerment Institute, Cia advocates for education, economic, and maternal health equity within the Black community. Hosting Maternal Health Birth Worker Panels and lobbying for policy changes with local representatives, Cia is dedicated to helping Black families overcome obstacles and achieve their aspirations.
Diauni Robinson
Sacramento, California
Hi! My name is Diauni Robinson and I work with the womb, guiding women in navigating grief and forming sacred relationships with Spirit/themselves. My work centers birth/loss, intimacy, and motherhood. I have a background in psychology, and my spiritual life has been cultivated with years of studying the occult and intimate practice/ceremony. In 2021, I wrote a book called “Soften: A Guidebook on Abortion,” and I am currently working with The Rebirth Society to continue offering abortion services and trainings on a larger scale. I am so grateful to be in service to my community!
@theheartdoula | therebirthsociety.org
Jessica Lauren Linnear
Benton, LA (Shreveport, LA)
Jessica Lauren, visionary founder of Rising with Jess, established her empowering community for women's healing in 2020. Driven by a mission to elevate holistic healing and advocate for the awareness of black women in the birth sphere, Jessica embarked on a transformative journey in birthwork. In 2022, she traveled to Cape Coast, Ghana, immersing herself in a hands-on doula training. There, she grasped the vital essence of nurturing the mother beyond the labor room. Fueled by this revelation, Jessica pledges to encompass all facets of childbirth. Her sanctuary extends to those who have traversed the path of loss, offering unwavering support and compassionate understanding. With her steadfast commitment, Jessica envisions a future where every woman emerges from childbirth with strength, dignity, and empowerment.
Mariah Jiles, MPH
Seattle, Washington
Mariah Jiles is a researcher passionate about the wellness of birthing individuals. She holds an MPH from UC Berkeley, where she concentrated in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health. Prior to Berkeley, she served as a research assistant on a project examining histories of eugenic sterilization abuse. It was through engaging with this harrowing history that Mariah’s commitment to reproductive justice and healing was cemented. In graduate school, Mariah worked on the Evaluation Study of the Abundant Birth Project- an income supplement program for Black and Pacific Islander pregnant people in California. She held more than 50 two-hour-long conversations with pregnant people about their health during the perinatal period, as well as experiences with racism and discrimination. Currently, Mariah is an APHA Kaiser Permanente Fellow with the Tubman Center for Health and Freedom. She’s also a vinyasa and prenatal yoga teacher, who enjoys creating intentional, welcoming spaces where community can rest.
COURSE PARTICIPANTS
NaTasha Chapman Benjamin
Laurel, Maryland
NaTasha Benjamin is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Certified Perinatal Mental Health clinician (PMH-C), and Approved Clinical Supervisor. NaTasha has 20+ years of cumulative experience working in a variety of capacities serving individuals, families, and couples through difficulties experienced with mental health; starting in North Carolina and now in Maryland. NaTasha’s difficult journey towards motherhood shifted her focus towards holistic wellness for BIPOC mothers, birthing individuals, and families as a PMH-C, full circle doula, meditation teacher, Reiki practitioner, and yoga instructor. NaTasha currently works as Lead Therapist for Black Girl Health Foundation, Inc.; focused on creating pathways to help women and girls of color improve their health through engagement, education, and empowerment. NaTasha is also a Board member for Stillbirth Awareness and Infant Loss Support (SAILS); a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping those who have lost their child by letting them know that they are not alone.
Pharadja Andrews
Stockton
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Raina B.
Detroit, Michigan
I am a keeper of the birth space, an atmosphere setter, and a practitioner of peaceful birthing experiences as often as possible because peace and healing are our birthrights and our healing is connected – I believe mother to mother, birthing person to birthing person, oppressed struggle to oppressed struggle, generation to generation. I am Raina, mother, Aborisa, writer, doula, womanist and Black queer feminist, qualitative researcher in communication studies, and abolitionist, who leads with the intersections of my identity. I am a storyteller whose life has been transformed and saved by the power of creativity, community, and communication. My love for storytelling aligns with my birth work and political beliefs, creating safety, elevating stories and lived experience, and always working toward freedom of the body, mind, and spirit. I approach my work by shifting narrative and thinking critically about what doesn’t serve us while creating space to imagine new ways of being.
Rashon Lane
Richmond, California
Dr. Rashon Lane is a community doula serving as Senior Health Equity Scientist at Sutter Health and a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. She is motivated by developing research and program evaluations that address the root causes of health issues, specifically cardiovascular disease, sleep, and mental health. She is driven to center marginalized communities in the research process with the aim of equitable research focusing on justice and healing. She’s currently examining the embodiment of racial stress and trauma in looking at hypertension and sleep outcomes among Black women and pregnant people. She works in the East Bay as a doula, specializing in post-partum and peri/post-natal mental health and well-being. Dr. Lane is from Richmond, CA, graduated from Tuskegee University, with a master’s from Claremont Graduate University. She holds a Ph.D. in medical sociology from UC San Francisco and received post-doctoral training in sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.